Evernote CEO Phil Libin got a terrible birthday present for his 42nd birthday: a highly critical review of the popular note-taking service by influential tech blogger Jason Kincaid. But Libin’s response was a rarity in the Valley these days: it showed a CEO who gets the importance of good PR.

GuestPayPal is leaping ahead with an EMV version of its PayPal Here reader, which is a better fit for many international markets. I was recently in London and had the chance to get a demo from PayPal’s Narik Patel, director of mobile merchant services.

GuestWith the limited screen sizes and the sometimes flaky connections of smartphones, designing for mobile requires extra attention to detail. And HotelTonight is a great example of how to do one detail — error messaging — right.

GuestI find the recent changes to Yahoo’s work-at-home policy bewildering. Yes, Yahoo has a lot of deadweight. Yes, it needs to jettison that deadweight. But there’s more deadweight working in Yahoo’s offices than at home.

GuestHome automation technologies have been promising to change our lives for decades. Finally, Wi-Fi and mobile devices may be able to deliver on that promise. But Belkin’s WeMo line of products shows we’re not there yet.